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Governor Daniels backs trails

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In major boast for trails like the Pumpkinvine, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has put the authority of his office behind the development of trails and greenways in Indiana.

Daniels hosted an Indiana Trails Plan summit May 31 in Indianapolis at which he announced that the state would double funding for rails in the coming year from $10 to $20 million.

 Daniels said that he saw “enormous potential and enormous interest in rails in Indiana.”  He indicated that he wouldn’t be satisfied with a few token trails. “We have the potential to be a national leader” in trails, he said. Indiana is not good for skiing, “but it is perfect for riding bicycles,” Daniels said. “The terrain is flat and scenic.”

The governor linked access to trails to better health for individuals and for the economy of Indiana. Because Indiana is more expensive state for health care, it’s a problem when the he tries to convince businesses to move to the state.

In order to attract businesses, Indiana “must be the most livable space it can be.” 

That is where trails come in. Trails enhance the quality of life, and an enhanced quality of life attracts people with ideas. “People with ideas can be anywhere,” he said. “I want Indiana to be the best sandbox in the world.”

“Thus rails will give us competitive edge,” he said. “When we achieve these [trails], we will have a healthier state, physically and economically.”

Daniels said the state government was fully committed to making Indiana a showplace for trails. Acknowledging that $20 million wasn’t nearly enough to do the job, he said his intention was “to jump start this thing.”

“I love planners. I love doers. Its time to do,” he said. The planning summit is the second major step the governor has taken to promote rails. Earlier in the year he appointed Ray Irvin, former head of Indy Greenways, as director of Greenways & Bikeways for the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Three members of the Friends board attended the meeting: Larry Neff, Jim Smith and John Yoder.

“I was impressed with the fact that the governor didn’t really bother to debate the pros and cons of rails and greenways,” said Yoder. “He assumed they were good for communities and for Indiana. That is a huge change in perspective from when we started working on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail.” 

Other summit speakers were Lyle Hupfer, Director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Thomas Sharp, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation. Both endorsed the state’s draft plan or trails, greenways and bikeways called Hoosiers on the move. The plan proposes access to a trail within 5 minutes or 7.5miles for all Indiana residents.

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